Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-06-17
A CONVERT.
A. N. q. Il. MAN sees Los Angeles
and Surrenders.


EDITOR HERALD-"Hearsay" is very
seldom admitted as testimony in determ.
lining controversies in courts. and it is
often equally liable to mislead in ordi
nary matters of life. The false impress
sions entertained by myself prior to Wis
iting your beautiful city were based
upon the representations of one Of the
BEADING daily papers published in the
chief city of the great Northern Citrus
Belt" Indeed, so deeply seated were
my prejudices, having lived about thirty.
eight years in this N. c. b. region, and
being fed for q large portion of this time
upon the pabulum of this veritable Sac
ramt nto publication, that the evidence
of my own senses were scarcely sufficient
to overcome them.
PREVIOUS IMPRESSIONS.
My impressions of the city of Los An
geIes were that it was place Of some
25, 200 people, mostly of the migratory,
restless class, induced to emigrate to it
by exaggerated stories of its healthful
ness and beauty; that it was situated in
a sandy, sterile region OF country, with
an occasional spot of rich soil requiring
irrigation to produce either fruits, grain
or vegetables; that the far greater por-
ton OF the land of Los Angeles county
and around your city was Of this barren
character, where the different species OF
cacti fourished, but where nothing else
would grow; that irrigation was abso-
lu,ely necessary to produce orchards,
vineyards and vegetable gardens, and
that in most cases the water for irriga-
ton could not be had.
In regard to climate my impressions
were nearer the truth, but then what
was the value of climate without soil!
What city could live on climate; and
that there was no land in the vicinity to
support thrifty population could easily
be proven by reference to the columns Of
onr Sacramento daily, to which allusion
has been made. To my mind yours was
a city in something of q desert waste
and therefore would soon fall back to
it's original insignifcance. These were
the impressions l had, based upon false
hearsay testimony.
THE REALITY.
Entertaining such opinions of your
city it can easily be imagined what my
feelings were when l met the reality
face to face. One by one every pre-
judice vanished, and when, on the sec
ond day of my visit, l stood on the
height where "Belmont Hotel and
%'Ellis" Villa College are located, and
cast my eyes around, can truthfully
say no lovelier country ever greeted my
vision. Its luxuriance indicating the
richness of the soil-its tastefully built
residences proclaiming the character and
wealth of its people. The next few
days were employed in close examina.
tion of the country. and instead of a
desert waste, the soil in its general char
acter, is of q deep, rich, sandy loan. In
many places where it looks like ''doby,"
it was made. earth from the neighboring
hills, dark like the adobe soil, but mixed |
with sufficient sand to render it easy of
cultivation.
The orchards-apple, apricot, or
ange, peach, plum, pear, fig, generally |
bordered by the walnut or pepper tree
all were of rich green color, Indicative |
of prolific soil. The other crops, such |
as corn and the different vines, beets, |
potatoes, Irish and sweet, all contra
dicted the evidence upon which my i'm. |
pressions were based. In some places
irrigation was employed, in Others,
especially for a number of miles down |
the railroad leading to Santa Monica,
irrigation seemed necessary.
THE CITY.
Your little place is said to be six
miles square, and with population of
fifty.fve or sixty thousand inhabitants.
'.You must be mistaken. sir" to my in.
formant, "for have the census of 1870 |
and 1880 right in my pocket, and you
see in 1870 it is not six thousand, and in
1880 not quite twelve thousand. His
reply was: I'VE kave taken pains to
ascertain the num- Ar, and this city to-
day will count ~ sixty Thousand peo
pie, without strangers like YOURSELF
After running over the city, up this
street and down that. and seeing and
feeling flor II . man don't get out of the
Wy they run against himl the crowd on
ls